” “Breaking Bad

Well, Walt certainly had his chance, didn’t he? Yes, he could have done away with Jesse during that little desert get-together in last week’s episode. Out in the middle of nowhere. … No witnesses. … It could have been a clean kill.

Instead, they hugged it out (sort of) and Walt sent Jesse on his merry way to Alaska. Only that didn’t work out so well, and now Walt has a major problem on his hands: Can he get to Jesse before Jesse gets to him?

“Breaking Bad” fans, for a long time, have wondered how Skyler White (Anna Gunn) would react when the proverbial crap hit the fan — when her husband’s evil deeds came to light and his meth empire began to crumble. Would she cave in and turn her back on Walt (Bryan Cranston)? Or would she dig in and stand by her man?

Behold the sad irony of the Emmy Awards telecast: It is designed to celebrate extraordinary TV shows, but it usually turns out to be dreadful, soul-killing television itself.

The good news this year is that we have a fresh and funny new host in Jimmy Kimmel. If he’s on his game, we expect to laugh like baboons.

Moreover, there’s an intriguing mix of exciting newcomers and established powerhouses among the nominees. Can “Downton Abbey” or “Homeland” break the “Mad Men” stranglehold on the best drama trophy? Will the cult-favorite “Girls” prove to be a threat to “Modern Family’s” comedic dominance?

Of course, predicting what Emmy voters will do is often an exercise in head-scratching futility. Just when you think they’re stuck in rubber-stamp mode, they fall in love with something — or someone — all shiny and new.

Still, there’s no harm in trying. Here’s our breakdown of major categories, along with our totally wild guesses. Wager at your own risk.

The lowdown: A victory would give “Mad Men” a record fifth trophy in this category. Although the moody period drama produced another superlative season, I have a hunch that Emmy is restless and ready to go home with someone else. If I had a vote, it would go to “Breaking Bad,” which has yet to win despite its enduring brilliance, or “Homeland,” which was easily the year’s best new drama. But this seems to be the year of the Brits, so I’m thinking that the voters fall for the sumptuous costumed splendor of “Downton Abbey.”

The lowdown: While the best drama category is a brutally tough call, this one should be a slam dunk. Danes deserves to reign supreme for her riveting performance as a mentally troubled CIA analyst trying to squash a potential terrorist threat. If she doesn’t win, the voters need a dose of electroshock therapy.

AMC announced on Sunday that “Breaking Bad,” the Emmy-winning and critically adored drama series about meth-making chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston), will conclude its run after one more 16-episode season.

Production on all episodes of the final order will commence in early 2012. The roll-out of the episodes and premiere date schedule has yet to be determined by the network.

“From the day we heard (creator) Vince Gilligan’s completely original vision for ‘Breaking Bad,’ it has been a complete joy to be involved with this show,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, in a press release. “Watching this story evolve into the complex, compelling, and intense roller coaster ride that it has become has been an incredible creative experience for everyone at AMC. Beyond that, working with Vince, his brilliant cast and crew, and our wonderful partners at Sony has been remarkable in every way. While it is sad to even contemplate the end of this series, we are so happy to have had the chance to go on this ride, and truly look forward to presenting the rest of this amazing story.”

Commenting on the announcement, Gilligan said, “It’s a funny irony — I’d hate to know the date of my own last day on earth, but I’m delighted to know what Walter White’s will be (episodically speaking). This is a great gift to me and to my wonderful writers. It’s knowledge which will allow us to properly build our story to a satisfying conclusion. Now, if we don’t manage to pull that off, we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves.”

“‘Breaking Bad’ has been a dream job these past four years,” Gilligan added. “Working with the best cast and crew in television has no doubt spoiled me for future projects. I’m lucky to get to work with them on sixteen more episodes, and I will always be grateful to both AMC and Sony Television, who from the beginning, believed in our show and supported me creatively and professionally. We have been able to take risks with ‘Breaking Bad’ which would not have been possible on other networks.”

So what do you think? Is this a good time for “Breaking Bad” to bow out? Or is this a premature end to a great show?

The wait in nearly over for fans of “Breaking Bad.” The edgy drama, which has been off the air for more than a year, returns to AMC at 10 p.m., July 17. Today, AMC released a sneak preview of the show’s 13-episode season.

For fans playing catch-up, AMC announced that all previsious episodes of “Breaking Bad” will be available On Demand beginning June 20.

It’s January — a time when television goes through an annual rebirth. But this midseason will be more eventful than usual. Not only do we have the Winter Olympics coming on NBC, we’ve got “American Idol” returning with a new judge in Ellen DeGeneres. Also on tap: The final season of “Lost” and a fresh new day for “24,” which moves action hero Jack Bauer to New York. On cable, “Damages,” “Big Love” and “Breaking Bad” are all returning with new seasons.

There are also several interesting new programs in the pipeline. I’m looking forward to HBO’s WWII miniseries, “The Pacific,” from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Also, there’s a bit of a “Gilmore Girls” vibe in the new CW drama, “Life Unexpected.”

For a full rundown on the midseason, with premiere dates, etc., click here.

Here’s one of several reasons why the Emmys aren’t just as compelling as other awards shows: Too many repeat award winners.

Nothing against Glenn Close (“Damages”) or Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”). They’re great actors. But they both won in their respective categories last year and that tends to take some of the fun out of the proceedings.

Still, we love Cranston’s humor and humility. “I’m so thankful Glenn Close is actually a woman,” he said, obviously relived to not have to compete against her. He went on to say, “I’m just a poor kid from the Valley. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m like Cinderfella.”

The best awards show you’ll never see is the annual Television Critics Association Awards, which held its 25th edition in Pasadena on Sunday. They don’t televise these things and justifiably so. The production values are bare bones. The presenters (the critics themselves) aren’t the most telegenic bunch. And there’s often more profanity than an episode of “The Sopranos.”

But it’s a fun night for all, including the celebs who attend and stick around to hit the bar afterwards. And it has a sense of legitimacy that the Emmys often lack. To wit: The critics’ Program of the Year was “Battlestar Galactica,” a high-quality show that has never even been nominated for a best-drama Emmy.

The critics, too, are often ahead of the curve in recognizing emerging shows and stars. Such was the case Saturday, when we honored “The Big Bang Theory” for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and the show’s co-star Jiom Parsons for Individual Achievement in Comedy.

“The Prisoner” won’t premiere until November, but AMC is already looking to build some advance buzz for its intriguing new drama series. The cable network that gave us “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” introduced a 9-minute clip reel of “The Prisoner” at ComicCon. Check it out.